Rules of behavior at the table imply the use of a certain number of cutlery. Trying to determine the purpose of an object, one may encounter certain difficulties. Nevertheless, in modern society, a person needs knowledge about the purpose of different cutlery. If at a gala dinner or dinner there are fish dishes, then for them, when setting the table, fish forks will be included.
What does it look like?
Initially, the fish fork had only three prongs, quite wide and not sharp. In length, it is significantly shorter than a classic ordinary fork, its handle is wider and flatter.
Now they can also make four-pronged forks for fish. But confusing with a conventional fork still does not work, since the teeth are shorter, and in order to make it easier to remove the bones, a characteristic slot is located in the center.
Both types of forks are used equally for serving.
Initially, the services in which the fish forks were present consisted of a significant number of items. They were available only to the elite sections of society. Therefore, they were made of valuable metals and their alloys. Among the aristocracy, silver and even gold table sets were common.
Now you can also purchase such exclusive services, however, those made of stainless steel are more widely used. Handles can be decorated with various patterns and gold or silver plating.
Varieties
Despite the fact that the fish fork is often replaced by a dining room, it is present at large events and official dinners in serving. They decided to use not only fish dishes, but also seafood, as well as canned fish.
- Chill forks (fr. Sink). In France, a special metal dish for hot fish dishes was called a chill mold. In it they prepared and served food to the table. Accordingly, the fork with which this dish was served began to be called chill. In fact, this is the main cutlery for treating fish. This is the same fork with short teeth and a recess for bone extraction.
- Fork for canned food. Special auxiliary device. With it, they do not eat, but transfer pieces of fish from a common dish onto their plate. It is a stylized spatula fork with five cloves, which are interconnected along the edge. Thus, excess oil passes through the slots, and a wide base helps to gently take and transfer a small fish or a piece to a plate.
- Two-horned. As the name implies, this device has two cloves, long and sharp. Designed for cold fish snacks, you can chop pieces of herring or red fish and transfer to an individual plate.
- For a sea cocktail. Trident shaped fork. The cloves are curved to the center. And there are other options for this fork. For example, a device designed for mussels and oysters has a thickened left tooth to make it easier to separate the flesh from the shell. For crayfish, crab and shrimp served double-toothed long fork.
And for cutting lobsters, there is a double-sided shoulder blade. From one end it is sharp, they cut the shell and remove the meat from the claws. The other is dull, shaped like a scapula for scooping up juice.
How to use?
Chill forks are usually served in tandem with a fish knife. With it, you can aesthetically and conveniently carve the carcass. When serving, the fish fork is placed on the left, the second after the table fork. The fish knife is also the second, but on the right, right after the table knife.
The fish knife has the shape of a scapula. It is not sharp, there are small indentations on the edges along the edges. The knife is not intended for cutting, it only helps to separate the fillet from the bones. If the fish knife is not on the table, then it is allowed to use, instead of it, one more fork - fish or dining.
Since fish appliances are diverse and can be served in different ways, the rules for their use are slightly different.
So, if the serving contains a set consisting of a fork for fish and a fish knife, take the fork in the left hand and the knife in the right. As mentioned earlier, they do not cut with a knife, but only carefully separate the bones from the fillet, holding a piece of fish with a fork.
First, it is supposed to eat meat from the top of the fish, after which you can gently turn the portion of the piece and proceed to the other side.
Small fish bones are often present in fish dishes, even if served with processed fillet. Such bones cannot be pulled out by hands - this is a violation of etiquette. If you suddenly felt a fish bone in your mouth, you must carefully move it with your tongue to your lips and remove it from your mouth with a fork. Then it can be transferred to specially designed dishes or on the edge of your plate.
If, when setting the table, the fish knife was replaced with a classic table fork, then the fish fork is placed on the right side of the plate. Because it now serves as a fish knife. Thus, a table fork is located in the left hand, and meat is separated from the bones by a fish fork. Bring portions to the mouth with the appliance in the left hand.
There are times when fish dishes are served, and special appliances are missing. Then it’s hard to figure out which fork to use for these foods. If this happened, then it is permissible to use a regular fork and a piece of bread. We take the bread in our left hand and hold the fish on a plate, and cut it with a table fork and send portioned slices to our mouth.
All of the above methods comply with the rules of etiquette and will give confidence in solemn feasts. However, they are suitable for hot fish dishes.
There are slight nuances when serving cold pickled or salted fish snacks, such as salmon, sturgeon, herring. In this case, in order to cut the fish, take a regular knife for snacks. The thing is that the carcasses of these species of fish are quite stiff. The appetizer knife is located on the right side of the plate, at the very end of the serving set.
A variety of fish dishes led to the emergence of a wide range of cutlery: a variety of tongs, skewers, knives, spoons.
All of them will help you to eat all kinds of fish delicacies beautifully and conveniently.
See how to eat fish in a restaurant in the next video.
